Saturday, February 19, 2011

Welcome to Sports Purgatory Gentleman! (and Ladies...? Maybe...? No...? Alrighty then.)
Now that winter appears to have left us, the Super Bowl is over, and the NBA finds it's self in mid-season... There's actually not a whole lot to write about. Unless you'd like to discuss the NFL CBA for roughly the millionth time (hint: Adam Schefter is less than optimistic, in case you haven't herd). Maybe some Puljols talk will get things going. No one is talking about that either, right?
Well, since this blog is probably going to end up beating the dead horse anyway. Might as well start now, huh?
Since the deadline has passed Albert no longer wants to talk contract a extension that would keep him with the team he has remained with since he was drafted in 1999. The separation point between the two sides is approximated to be roughly $75 Million. Yeah, million. Thanks to A-Rod's ludicrous contact we now need to deal with $100 Million contracts. I know it's hard to hate Alex Rodreguiz more, but he just makes it so damn easy.
The big reason why Albert doesn't want to continue talks during the season is because he is fearful it will affect his performance. On the surface, this seems like a good idea. Especially considering the nature of Baseball as a sport. It's more of a metal game than a physical one. So for Albert to want to eliminate distractions is a good move. However, what seems to be lacking from Albert (and his agents, Dan Lozano's) thought process is that the baseball season is a grind, not just on the players, but on the media. There's not a whole lot to talk about, especially if this season goes south for St. Louis, who is a long shot for a World Series title, he could end up causing more of a distraction than he anticipates. Eventually the local media is going to ask about the contract and that's a great way to throw your slugging % into the tubes, in a contract year.
That is why I am willing to bet something (any ideas?) that a decision will be reached (either way, leave or re-sign) some time before the All Star Brake. Book it everyone...

Since comments are disabled right now, Tell us what you think on my twitter. It can be about the Pujols situation. It can be NFL CBA talk. You can tell me who would win in a fight between Beowulf and a Ninja, whatever it is you want actually and I'll read them, and respond or your money back. Since this is a free website to view I feel very confident I can make that happen.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Tim Mcnamara will be contributing some depth to the blog with his insight and passion into the NBA.This is his first contribution to IR Sports

As the fans prepare for All-Star festivities and we receive another slate of mediocre dunkers with the usual M.I.A.’s (yes I’m talking to you LeBron), we look back at the first half of the season.We begin in the East. A powerful Celtics squad takes the top of the table, with the Heat, Bulls, and Magic following closely behind. You look at the Celtics and you see experience, but how will those legs hold up come May and June?

Next, you have the “Heatles.” We see glimpses of greatness with the “big three” but they are still only 1-6 against the premier teams in the league. They are followed by the Bulls lead by M.V.P. candidate Derrick Rose, but who will step up with the combined absences of Jokim Noah and Carlos Boozer?

To rap of the top tier of team in the East is the Orlando Magic.

They are desperate to find continuity, and while they did overcome a beat-up Los Angeles team the other night, they had lost to seven winning team prior to that. (let's hit on the fact that the Lakers went on to get blow out in Charlotte the night after)Where do I even begin in the West? The Spurs are the leaders of the pack with an awfully impressive rebuilding job by Popovich. To the surprise of just about every fan, there veterans Ginobili, Parker, and Duncan have lead the Spurs to a league best, 46 wins.

Number two in the west would have to be the Dallas Mavericks. They have the chance to make a play-off push but it may come down to a key trade after suffering injuries to star players such as Caron Butler. Speaking of Butler, the Mavs are interested in a trade with Charlotte for Stephen Jackson. That being said,

when asked Mavs guard Jason Terry said they were feeling confident with their current squad and he didn’t see a need for change. Cuban is a man who wants to win, and he will pull every string to make that happen. Right behind the Mavs are the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, another team that is looking to wheel and deal.

This might be a good time to mention the Melo rumors. No one is certain, but the latest deal had him linked to the Nicks in a multi-player deal, including former All-Star guard Chauncey Billups. The final team on my list of top four for the west is the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a team that is carried by possibly the best duo the league has to offer, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. KD leads the league in 30 point games, and when he hits 30 his team is a solid 18-4. The Thunder will look to make an improvement in the defense and rebounding categories.

All this leads to an exciting second half of the season in the Association.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Somewhere in the mist of all of the sappy "lovey-dovey" commercials, some of us (ya know, the the ones who don't have girlfriends, and therefor, have the time to write a blog no one reads) are looking forward to spring. Pitcher's and Catchers (or if you're a Phil's fan, Aces, Chooches, and Blantons) reported yesterday. This means that baseball fans all over the country will begin taking over/under bets on how many games until the Pirates are mathematically eliminated (Still waiting on the official Vegas line on that one, any bets?), Jib Jab about Albert Pujols. Baseball season is a glorious grind, and Intentional Roughness will be there to make fun of it. As we go along you all will realize I have a bias towards covering the Philadelphia teams (especially the Phills). This should be good because it's not like the mediarecognizesthemenough. What's another blog in the already bustling media parade? What should be striking baseball fans is how these guys react to the hype. None of them are "media-struck" and appear to be focused on wins and losses. That's refreshing after the insane media hype machine we have to suffer from. These guys are here to win which is awesome for a fan to seeSpeaking of things that are wayyyyy too over-covered. Let's talk NFL CBA. Because, again, no one else is. This will be a mostly CBA free blog. I'm not going to get wrapped up in the cuckoo coverage (new slogan?) that we all see/hear on ESPN. I don't know how much more of this I can stand. Football fans have about half a law degree just trying to decipher the rapid fire tweets for Adam Schefter. We here (yeah, it's we now. More on that later on). If something of substance happens (March 3rd or whenever there is a deal done) we will talk about it. Just know that I support the players and am against an 18 game schedule. March 3rd, we'll get into this thing, like Ray J does fake celebrities(Boom! First Tease).

I'll also admit I'm not a huge NBA guy, and I'd hate to leave this blog hanging as far as NBA coverage goes. That's why I'm bringing on Tim McNamara to do a weekly NBA wrap-up story (or something like that). Follow him on twitter, read his stuff, and laugh at his jokes (I'll hear you though the interwebs, I promise)

Good to come back for another post. Look for more in the coming future.